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The House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton
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In the afternoon rush of the Grand Central Station his eyes had been refreshed by the sight of Miss Lily Bart. It was a Monday in early September, and he was returning to his work from a hun ied dip into the country; but what was Miss Bart doing in town at that season.? If she had appeared to be catching a train, he might have inferred that he had come on her in the act of transition between one and another of the country-houses which disputed her presence after the close of the Newport season; but her desultory air perplexed him. She stood apart from the crowd, letting it drift by her t Qthe platform or the street, and wearing an air of irresolution which might, as he surmised, be the mask of a very definite purpose. It struck him at once that she was waiting for some one, but he hardly knew why the idea arrested him. There was nothing new about Lily Bart, yet he could never see her without a faint movement of interest: it was characteristic of her that she always roused speculation, that her simplest acts seemed the result of far-reaching intentions.
(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, History, Folklore and Mythology.
Forgotten Books' Classic Reprint Series utilizes the latest technology to regenerate facsimiles of historically important writings. Careful attention has been made to accurately preserve the original format of each page whilst digitally enhancing the aged text. Read books online for free at www.forgottenbooks.org
- Sales Rank: #16938830 in Books
- Published on: 2002-02
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 7.75" h x 5.50" w x 1.25" l,
- Binding: Turtleback
Amazon.com Review
"The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth," warns Ecclesiastes 7:4, and so does the novel by Edith Wharton that takes its title from this call to heed. New York at the turn of the century was a time of opulence and frivolity for those who could afford it. But for those who couldn't and yet wanted desperately to keep up with the whirlwind, like Wharton's charming Lily Bart, it was something else altogether: a gilded cage rather than the Gilded Age.
One of Wharton's earliest descriptions of her heroine, in the library of her bachelor friend and sometime suitor Lawrence Selden, indicates that she appears "as though she were a captured dryad subdued to the conventions of the drawing room." Indeed, herein lies Lily's problem. She has, we're told, "been brought up to be ornamental," and yet her spirit is larger than what this ancillary role requires. By today's standards she would be nothing more than a mild rebel, but in the era into which Wharton drops her unmercifully, this tiny spark of character, combined with numerous assaults by vicious society women and bad luck, ultimately renders Lily persona non grata. Her own ambivalence about her position serves to open the door to disaster: several times she is on the verge of "good" marriage and squanders it at the last moment, unwilling to play by the rules of a society that produces, as she calls them, "poor, miserable, marriageable girls.
Lily's rather violent tumble down the social ladder provides a thumbnail sketch of the general injustices of the upper classes (which, incidentally, Wharton never quite manages to condemn entirely, clearly believing that such life is cruel but without alternative). From her start as a beautiful woman at the height of her powers to her sad finale as a recently fired milliner's assistant addicted to sleeping drugs, Lily Bart is heroic, not least for her final admission of her own role in her downfall. "Once--twice--you gave me the chance to escape from my life and I refused it: refused it because I was a coward," she tells Selden as the book draws to a close. All manner of hideous socialite beasts--some of whose treatment by Wharton, such as the token social-climbing Jew, Simon Rosedale, date the book unfortunately--wander through the novel while Lily plummets. As her tale winds down to nothing more than the remnants of social grace and cold hard cash, it's hard not to agree with Lily's own assessment of herself: "I have tried hard--but life is difficult, and I am a very useless person. I can hardly be said to have an independent existence. I was just a screw or a cog in the great machine I called life, and when I dropped out of it I found I was of no use anywhere else." Nevertheless, it's even harder not to believe that she deserved better, which is why The House of Mirth remains so timely and so vital in spite of its crushing end and its unflattering portrait of what life offers up. --Melanie Rehak
From Library Journal
Wharton's account of the ill-fated life of Lily Bart receives a perfunctory treatment in this audio program. It is New York in the early 20th century; Lily loves Lawrence Selden, but he sees her as a fortune hunter, with tragic consequences. The author excels at delineating the ways money, romance, and social standing intertwine in the society of the time. Included is a lengthy introduction by Wharton biographer R.W.B. Lewis that sets the work in the context of the writer's life and career. Casual listeners may consider the preface too long and scholarly, and those coming to the novel for the first time may be put off by learning the outcome and by hearing Lewis's uncertainty about whether it is a masterpiece. Anna Fields handles the narration adequately but strains to create masculine voices and makes most of the women too flighty. As a result, the characters seem more trivial than Wharton intended. Not recommended. Michael Adams, CUNY Graduate Ctr.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
Gore Vidal There are only three or four American novelists who can be thought of as "major," and Edith Wharton is one.
Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
Edith Wharton was brilliant
By Marla Johnson
House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton, was a fantastic read. From the moment I read the first sentence to the very last page, I was captivated by Lily Bart' s life. At first, Wharton' s writing style reminded me of one of my favorite authors, Jane Austen. I have been a long time fan of Austen' s, so to equate another author to her is a great praise in my eyes. N ow that I've finished the novel, I believe Wharton is in a category all her own. She is refreshing to read and has a great balance between dialogue and text. Although I liked Lily from the very beginning, I absolutely loved her by the end. There were times when her story was endearing, and other times when it was completely heartbreaking. In both instances, Wharton draws the reader into Lily' s life.
While this is not my usual cup of tea, I greatly enjoyed reading it, and suggest it to anyone who loves a thought-provoking story.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
... read this for my book club and I did enjoy the story but I don't care for Edith Wharton's ...
By DeCeLaw
I read this for my book club and I did enjoy the story but I don't care for Edith Wharton's style of writing as she is too detailed and describes the flowers and gardens and what someone is wearing in detail and it is just my taste. The book I got from the library was old and the print was very small and the contractions such as "couldn't" had a space and would appear as could n 't and it made it even more difficult to read. Once I got my Kindle version I actually was able to read the book faster and did finish it which I doubt that I would have done if I had stuck to the library book. he other thing I didn't like about the book was that it was difficult to keep characters straight because sometimes they were referred to by their first names, sometimes by their first and last names, sometimes by Miss, Mrs., or Mr. and last name and then sometimes the women who were married were referred to as Mrs., their husband's first and last name such as Mrs. John Doe.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Old New York's pomp viewed with a sharp discerning eye
By Linda Linguvic
Written in 1905, this novel brought me into the world of New York society at that time. Edith Wharton lived in this world and her writing dissected its pomp with a sharp discerning eye. The people she writes about own country houses where the party never stops. They travel abroad for months at a time. Their clothes are of the finest quality. And the only possible career for a woman is to marry a rich man.
We first meet Lily Bart at the age of 29. She has been trained from childhood in all the social graces. Unfortunately for her though, her father lost all his money when she was 12 years old and both her parents died soon after that. As she was beautiful, she assumed that her looks, quick wit and personality would attract a wealthy husband, and, indeed she did attract them. But in her youth she turned down several suitors and was now aware that time was no longer on her side; she needed to marry before she lost her looks.
She has her eyes set on Percy Gryce, a dull man who will be at a party in a country home and she flirts in such a way that he is soon smitten. He is desirable for his money but he bores her to death. But this romance never works out.
There is another man of course. His name is Lawrence Selden. He is a lawyer and lives a nice life but doesn't have the wealth she thinks she requires. They become friends and it is clear to the reader that they are in love. She still keeps looking for a wealthy man though and makes one mistake after another. Even though she remains chaste, she gets into some compromising situations. There is a lot of gossip and her rich women friends either turn on her or drop her.
Her prospects get dimmer and dimmer and she even considers marrying a rich Jewish man who she had once turned down, but even he rejects her. At one point Lawrence Selden tries to help her but she rejects him too. She's penniless and has no prospects. She is living in a boarding house and trying to work in a milliner's shop but even the spangles she sews on the hats are crooked and she soon loses that job. This novel ends in tragedy.
Lily Bart is a great character. She symbolizes the reality of New York society. She also is very human and deeply flawed and even though there were times she annoyed me tremendously, I could also sympathize with her. As a New Yorker myself, I enjoyed the setting as I am very familiar with the streets and the history. This is a really fine book.
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